It’s Dairy Alternative Month!

You may have heard (or not), but it’s national Dairy Alternative Month, AKA, pretty much our favorite time of the year. 🚫🐄

For the month of June, we are partnering with some pretty awesome dairy-free brands, while also challenging our fans to incorporate dairy alternatives to their diet.

We recently chatted with our friend Alisa Fleming of godairyfree.org to chat about her dairy-free journey as well as her brand spankin’ new cookbook launch!

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I was born with a classic milk allergy that I “outgrew.” But it morphed into another type of autoimmune condition that turned out to be equally troubling, and triggered by milk. I eventually started Go Dairy Free as a landing place for all of the information I gathered on dairy-free living. I loved “clipping” recipes, reading medical studies, and creating cheat sheets. And it turns out, many others appreciated my hobby. I never had any intention of switching to this career path. But with so many people asking for more help, I found it near impossible to say no! That all started 14 years ago, and here I am today, just as passionate as day 1!

Tell us about the mission of godairyfree.org:

My goal has always been to make dairy-free living easy and enjoyable. In our society of abundance, I don’t believe in the concept of “living without.” Even before the boom of dairy alternatives, there was a whole world (literally!) of dairy-free flavors just waiting to be explored. I guide people through the millions of options and provide resources to answer every dairy-free question imaginable.

What is your philosophy on health, fitness, and/or eating?

A lot of the content on Go Dairy Free has evolved based on reader requests, so it includes quite a few indulgences. But most people don’t realize that I’m actually a simple, health-focused eater who is active daily. I regularly played soccer for 25 years, and that has evolved into hiking, swimming, yoga, and weights.

Exercise, not dairy consumption, is the number one way to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures. And I’m living proof! I’m petite (hereditarily), but I’ve been told by doctors that I have surprisingly strong, healthy ligaments and bones.

In terms of diet, I do believe heavily in moderation and quality of life. Beyond living dairy-free, I’ve never been on a “diet.” As life changes, my nutritional needs and cravings change, and I prefer to go with the flow.

Favorite non-dairy food?

Broccoli. Seriously. If I were trapped on an island that would be one of those five foods I wouldn’t want to live without. The others might be cashews, oranges, potatoes, and chocolate.

Favorite thing to cook?

I’m actually more of a baker, and I really enjoy bread baking. Nothing like fresh-baked, whole-grain bread slathered with Fluffbutter and a big mug of tea!

Tell us about your upcoming books!

Eat Dairy Free landed a few months ago. It’s an everyday cookbook that focuses on healthier whole food meals, snacks, and some treats. None of the recipes require dairy alternatives – the focus is on creating eats from naturally dairy-free food. And every recipe has a fully tested gluten-free, peanut-free, egg-free, and soy-free option.

The second edition of Go Dairy Free is coming out now, and it is a huge overhaul from the first edition. The first third of this massive book (over 450 pages!) provides answers to thousands of dairy-free living question along with quick guides. The latter two-thirds house over 250 recipes, with everything from homemade dairy alternatives to those special indulgences.

Anything else you would like to share?

Yes! Go Dairy Free isn’t about convincing absolutely everyone to cut out dairy. The name was intended as motivational – a place to help and encourage those who will benefit from a dairy-free or dairy-low lifestyle. I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all diet. But I do believe that dairy-free living helps millions of people, and I’m here to help them.